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ISAIAH 65:17-19 (New Living Translation)
Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,
and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!
And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness.
Her people will be a source of joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and delight in my people.
And the sound of weeping and crying
will be heard in it no more.
Considering happiness and joy…
Happiness is an emotion and is deeply affected by how you are feeling in that moment. Something that makes you happy one day may not the next because your state of mind has changed. Your circumstances may be different. It is fleeting and very much governed by mood.
A verse from the Scots poet Robert Burns says this…
‘Happiness is shy and not always found where sought man’
He is writing to a friend. How true his words are. Please don’t misunderstand me, to feel happy is a glorious thing. Just don’t pin everything on it. We do not always find ourselves in that state. That is not to say we are miserable. Quite the contrary.
Joy is a state of being. We can have a deep joy in the midst of trouble. I would maybe go as far as to say to be joyful or find joy is a choice and can be a work in progress. Sometimes we need to re-train our thinking and our reactions. Some adults never do and remain in a state of emotional fluctuation, which can be harmful to themselves and those around them.
We can remain in the doldrums about something or seek joy. It is always to be found and can sustain us through a difficult time. I remember the day my Mother died. I came back from the hospital. It was a most beautiful September day. I sat in the garden just by the Rowan tree which was laden with bright red berries. A Robin sang a sweet song in the branches — a moment of deep joy and comfort within the sadness.
Another verse I am fond of in relation to my faith is this…
‘The joy of The Lord is my strength’
For myself I think of happiness more as childhood emotion; it tends to fly in any direction. It is like unstable water. We were not created to be in a permanent state of happiness. How on earth would we grow, and indeed how could we define happiness…
I wish you all a joy filled day wherever you may find it.
It could be in the simple opening of a flower.
We were made to bloom just like the flowers.
If you find yourself treading deep waters at this moment in time, remember this…
This too shall pass.
It may sound like a cliché, but it is the truth.
I’VE GOT JOY — CeCe Winans
A CLOSING WORD from MOTHER TERESA…
Joy is prayer, Joy is strength, Joy is love, Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.